Sobhita Dhulipala Is Bollywood's New-Age Fashion Icon
A closer look into the style of Sobhita Dhulipala and why it feels so authentic.
I’ve been meaning to write about Sobhita Dhulipala’s style for over a year now and I guess, the time has finally arrived!
Ever since the advent of social media, there has been a famine of noteworthy red carpet looks in Bollywood. In this age of Instagram, personal style seems to have watered down. Especially with celebrities who have access to stylists. Everyone kinda looks the same now. So, in that context, Sobhita manages to stand out even while making conventional choices. Her style choices are at once conventional in it’s appeal, and at the same time includes personal details that manages to make them authentic to her. There’s an ease with which she carries herself and seems confident when doing experimentation.
When describing her experience working with Sobhita, her frequent stylist, Bhawna Sharma said, “Sobhita is a stunning woman. Confident with an intelligent mind. She is comfortable in her skin and she is open minded to work as a collective with me, not to out do her peers.” That completely tracks because there’s an ease with which she carries herself, with no hesitancy when making experimental choices.
But this image as a knockout fashion star didn’t just come out of thin air. It is fair to say that Sobhita has carried on the (style) reputation from her Made In Heaven character, Tara Khanna, who is the new-age fashion icon for Indian popculture, to her public image as an actor. When the public discovered her through the show sporting couture pieces and pulling them off effortlessly, seeing Sobhita through the Tara Khanna lens definitely pushed her public image into the mainstream. After all, fashion has helped celebrities become household names numerous times before. Just ask Zendaya.
It’s not everyday that an “outsider” walks into the film industry and the big name brands like Dior and Sabyasachi agree to start throwing their clothes at them! Playing the anti-hero, fashionista Tara Khanna not only proved Sobhita is a great actress, but also showed that she has the potential to be a star.
There’s a singularity to being a star. You have to stand out to be a star, and even when you’re being compared with your peers, you seem to be in a league of your own. Visually too, you stand out from the crowd and through that visual language, you communicate to the people watching - I’m not to be forgotten.
“Sobhita has never competed with the people around her, her peers. She has a very individual approach to her style,” says Bhawna. In a crowd of similar looking celebrities, styled by the same 3-4 stylists, and often falling back on trendy options, it’s refreshing to see an actress who not only has unique features (within the bounds of conventional beauty standards - it is still the real world, after all), but also an interesting personal style that has a sense of individuality. Hope the fashion gods continue blessing her.
Being comfortable in being what you are, is one of the most powerful thing that you can do for yourself.